Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of cable conveyors, and more particularly to an apparatus and method for preparing coated cable for secure attachment of conveyor discs.
Description of the Related Art
Cables, due to their flexibility, have been used in conveyance systems for some time. The usual cable conveyance system comprises an endless cable having disc members or buttons attached thereto at even intervals and having a diameter slightly smaller than a conduit through which the cable and button assembly is pulled.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,195,725, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a drive unit for a cable conveyor is disclosed, having an improved design allowing the driving wheel to be disposed within the material being conveyed.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,071,136, which is hereby incorporated by reference, a channel housing is disclosed to replace cable tensioning devices used in previous cable conveyor systems.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,391,361, which is hereby incorporated by reference, an improved hold-down apparatus for cable conveyors is disclosed.
In each of these examples, the discs are attached to the cable by swaged barrels and are subject to forces that may displace the disc from its proper location on the cable. Barrels are typically attached over the coating on a coated cable, and rely solely on the frictional force between the cable coating and the compressed barrel, and between the compressed coating and the cable for their secure attachment.
The coating under the compressed barrel makes the assembly more susceptible to temperature increases as the coating materials will become weakened at elevated temperatures and decrease the overall force needed to displace the disc. Once a disc becomes displaced the cable can then self destruct causing damage not only to itself but the drive mechanism as well.
As a consequence of the foregoing situation, there has existed a longstanding need for a new and improved apparatus and method for preparing coated cable for a cable conveyor system and the provision of such is a stated objective of the present invention.